whatever

this is what potty training looks like at our house.
i don’t know how other people do it
(nor do i care how others do it)
i just let them be naked as much as possible.
it’s what works for me…5 times over.

we had a laid back weekend.
cleaned the house on saturday…
cleaned out my dresser and closet…
baked a cake…
craig got the groceries (less time for me in a grocery store is always good)
we invited some neighbors over for dinner…
very last minute.
talby and sophie are buddies.
i can see them having lots of fun growing up together.
they can be quite silly.

it was pure summer to eat dinner outside
talking with friends
listening to the cicadas
surrounded by flowers
eating watermelon and corn on the cob
swatting at mosquitos…..

this is the yummiest cake!
it was the cover of country living magazine 3 or 4 years ago.
pumpkin cake with pumpkin cream cheese frosting…yum.
it was gone in a day.
craig requested another one…maybe i will post the recipe.

then today there was more neighborhood fun
one of our neighbors has this!

usually the big kids are on here
but today the little kids were loving it!
talby was so sweet and helpful to annie.
annie was scared but talby convinced her to climb up and slide down together.
it was darling.

thanks thomas’ for sharing this with us.
it made for a great sunday afternoon.

and they were all in bed before 8:00.
they needed it…very cranky kiddos.

annie is nearly potty trained.
i hesitate even writing that.
i don’t want to jinx it.

i took her to the store yesterday to pick a toy for her great efforts she’s made.
it was just the 2 of us.
she wanted me right beside her.
she slowly looked at all the toys….pushed the buttons…touched each one.
we looked at each baby doll.
i was sure she’d pick a baby.
she kept walking.
she passed the bubbles…the books…the noisy toys
and then a squeal of delight….this tin box of marbles.

she was so excited.
she was clapping and jumping up and down.
we brought them home and peeled off the wrapper.
when i opened the lid she made this little gasp…
“ohhhhh pretty mama”
she was right.
there were all sizes…

‘the biddest huuuuuge one”
(biggest huge always means very big)
i love this picture…she’s holding it so gently.
her hands are shaped like a heart.

“bid and wittel!!” (big and little)
can you see my reflection?

“the tiny babies”
they were so little in her hand.
she lined them up and played a song for them from her mcDonald’s american idol toy.
“music for the babies.”
seriously.

then they had to be dumped.
and then sorted and rolled and dropped.
each one was touched at least once.

can’t you just feel that on your hands?
cold glass rolling under your fingers?
and can you hear it?
all the glass clicking together..
i love annie’s choice…
even though i will be cleaning up marbles for the next year and half.

i call this one…’Marbles in the Sun.’
ha ha

i guess we aren’t waiting for the last day we have the pool up….

they have been asking to do this since the day we got the pool.
i told them many times
“on the last day we have the pool up i will let you”
then last night at 8:15…that’s fifteen minutes after bedtime already…
craig yells “you need to see this!”
and there they were jumping from one to the other.
the boys still had their clothes on!
it was the only thing that could have pulled lauren from the tv.
she was out there in 10 seconds!

i wanted to wait till the last day so we would have a lesser chance for injuries.
i will just hope for the best…
i just won’t watch.

happy anniversary mom and dad.
hope you have a nice one.

want to know what a 2 year old keeps in her purse?
this is my old purse that i gave to talby…which annie quickly claimed for herself.
she is constantly filling and emptying it with treasures.
this was all inside…

pink sunglasses…baby bottle…tiny radio (purple)…
2 green poker chips…5 DQ gift cards (with no $$ on them)…
a budweiser bottle opener (it’s our neighbor’s – honest)…
plastic pancakes…old powder mirror…broken snowglobe…
a sonic receipt…thousands of dollars (play money)…
2 AAA batteries…a remote finder keychain…$.04….
a broken but repaired eye examiner from a toy doctor’s kit.
the old broken cell phone is missing from this picture because she couldn’t find it at the moment.
it’s back now though.
thank goodness.

we had a fun morning!
we met ms. kristin and lizzie for coffee downtown.

annie took this one of my arm.
talby chose our seat…on the step looking out the window…perfect spot.
the mommies tried to talk between the little girls’ questions and talby’s movie quotes.
the 3 girls took turns jumping off the step.
we were the only people there so we just let them play.
notice the newspaper in the background…how appropiate.

so nice to get out of the house, see friends and drink coffee.
these 2 little girls are going to have so much fun at preschool this year!
kristin…i promise i won’t blog about it every time we get together.

i have been having fun in the craft room!
i love the glitter chipboard letters.
they are so sparkly…
i was sewing
stamping
painting
stapling
ripping
it was a good day yesterday.

hat from the antique store…and waldo behind

bowling ball at the thrift shop…”Lady” engraved on it
i wanted this but i don’t know why??
maybe because “i’m a lady“

this is here in town…in kansas…it caught my eye while we were waiting on a train…the stroller was on top of it…made me smile and think of my friends there.

post office boxes

“bees…your weapons are useless against them!”
tommy boy quote.

i bought this at the thrift shop
how have my kids never kids never heard of this game?

four of these in the yard today…

new “love Elsie” scrapbook supplies…super fun.

the art center in talby’s classroom

jars of spools…wish i’d bought one…or at least the little glass dish

the chippy painted mantel the jars were sitting on…very shabby chic

the locker basket i did buy..it was from joyland!
remember that place?

and the cutest little pot ever…$4
it will be holding some sort of art supply soon

scott and sean left first on thursday morning with craig.
brand new shirts and shoes
the lego shirt could not be more perfect for sean!
scott’s says “Homework kills trees..Stop the Madness!!”
he picked it himself.

talby has afternoon kindergarten for the first 9 weeks.
she had been nervous the night before
but was ready on school day.
she goes at noon.
she wore a hand-me-down dress from morgan that i just love.
it’s my favorite thing she has.
she had her new pink and gray shoes on too.
and loves her hello kitty packpack.

lauren didn’t start school until today.
she was thrilled to get one more day off than scott.
we went shopping while everyone was in school.
she got so many cute things!
and we had a very good time.
this was one of her new outfits…shoes too.
she started volleyball now so she leaves at 8:00 & doesn’t get home until 6:00.
she’s growing up…that’s for sure.

annie was sad and confused at why her school hasn’t started yet.
she can’t wait!
only 2 more weeks.